British tourists stranded by mining protest in the Andes

Eight Britons are among more than 100 tourists trapped on a Bolivian mountain by protesters.

The visitors, and 500 Bolivian tourists, have been stranded 4,090 metres up in the Andes for 11 days after locals put rocks on the airport runway and refused to let vehicles leave.

Food is said to be running out in Potosi, home to 6,000, amid rising tension over silver mine closures and land disputes. The British embassy in the capital, La Paz, has advised against trying to break the blockade. The local governor has promised to help tourists to leave as soon as possible but British visitors said escaping was "futile".

Sarah Hewlett, from London, has tried twice to get away with her husband Daniel. She told the Guardian: "After three days, we walked 11 miles but there were no cars, nothing to pick us up, so we turned back."

Next they joined a bus full of French tourists but "when we got to the blockade, miners surrounded us and threatened the driver".